The Benefits of a Music Program in a Child's Education

The benefits of a musical program in your child’s education, whether being offered by the school or if you hire someone to teach your child how to pay, are numerous and huge. Many researchers are claiming that a musical program can help your child in school, society and in overall life. While classical instruments are often the best, the benefits from a musical program occur regardless of the instrument. Just let your child find what he or she likes and the benefits will follow.

Language and Reasoning
The brain continues developing, even after a child is born, and these growing parts need to be properly paid attention to if the child is going to grow as strong and intelligent as possible. There has been a strong correlation between music and certain parts on the left side of the brain. Overall, these parts are involved in language and reasoning, and children who learn music develop these parts much better than other children.

Spatial Intelligence
Spatial intelligence is the ability to think about objects solely in the mind and to move them around. This type of thinking is used a lot in math, word problems and many everyday tasks like packing a bag. Since children need to visualize where to put their fingers to make an instrument make a certain noise, this type of intelligence tends to evolve, making it easier for children to learn spatial thinking.

Creative Thinking
This does not refer to the ability to make something creative, though that certainly is a benefit of learning music at a young age. Rather, this refers to the ability of taking a problem and finding a unique and creative solution to it. This type of thinking allows children to really tackle a problem without using obsolete rules that just make it harder to solve the problem.

Good Work
Children literally learn the value of good and hard work when they learn music. Most children are not challenged, so they do not understand the difference between mediocre and good work. This has large ramifications for the rest of the child’s life.

However, a musical education allows the child to understand why good work is needed. When the child does poorly, he or she does not need a teacher to come over and scold him or her. Instead, the child will be able to directly hear the mistake, which shows him or her that bad work leads to bad results. Seeing value in sustained effort is also a benefit. Children will learn why they need to keep working at something, as this sustained effort will lead to good playing.

Better Teamwork
This is usually reserved for children that play in a group, but it can also apply to children that play on their own. A band or orchestra needs to play together, or the music will not be in harmony. The child will quickly learn that good teamwork will lead to the best results.

Good Risk-Taking
While excessive risk-taking is a bad behavior, a controlled amount of risk-taking can actually lead to very good results. Learning to play an instrument leads to controlled risk-taking, because the child will often be curious about how different notes will sound together. This leads children to try new things and to strive ahead of the beaten path.

Focus on Action
Many children learn to observe the world around them. Observing is fine at times, but action is usually better. On average, children with musical education tend to focus on doing things rather than watching them. This leads to the child being more active is most areas of life, and it also lets the child know that his or her actions impact the world in both positive and negative ways.

Conclusion
Giving a child a musical education is one of the best things you can do. It will teach the child many things, like taking action and risks, and it helps the brain properly develop. As stated before, it doesn’t matter what instrument your child picks up, so don’t think the benefits are only hidden in classical instruments. Let your child find something he or she likes, otherwise musical education just becomes a chore.